New Music Monday Picks For October 24

October 24, 2016

Your New Music Monday picks for October 24 celebrate a songwriting legend, a Memphis belle and the return of Matt Simons:

His last single “Catch And Release” enjoyed moderate success in Europe, and caught on stateside around this same time last year. So here’s hoping that with “Lose Control,” Matt Simons will make his indelible mark on the soundscape. It’s pure pop perfection, a surefire hit certain to make your ears and heart go pitter-patter.

The Twin Cities has long been a fertile ground for quality music – from the Andrews Sisters to Dr. Demento to Prince, Husker Du and The Replacements. Now you can add the St. Paul four-piece Hippo Campus to that list. With two EP’s to their name, they’ve opened shows for the likes of Modest Mouse and My Morning Jacket, wowed Conan with their brilliance, and have been hard at work on their debut full-length, expected to arrive sometime at the end of 2016 or early 2017.

It’s been two long years since her breakthrough album Pushin’ Against A Stone, and fans of the golden-voiced Memphis singer-songwriter Valerie June have until January to steady themselves for the release of The Order of Time, where she stays true to her bluesy roots but adds a few new touches here and there, including a Hammond B3, horns and pedal steel. “Astral Plane” was originally intended for Massive Attack, but lucky for us, they turned it down and Valerie June proceeded to put her stamp on it, turning it into something exquisite and otherworldly.

The brilliance of Leonard Cohen never ceases to amaze. What can we say that hasn’t been said before? At 82, he’s still showing us how it’s done, still leaving us awestruck.